I Didn't Know My Own Strength (Whitney Houston song)

Critical reception

When reviewing the album, Digital Spy described the song along with the title track "the album's pair of classic Whitney ballads." In their list of the 25 best Whitney Houston songs, Billboard ranked it number 17 and labeled the song as "perhaps Whitney's last great mega-ballad, a towering testament to having to find out the hard way about one’s own sense of perseverance." In its list of 20 greatest Houston songs, The Guardian voted the ballad number 14, calling it a "final grandstanding ballad", further stating "there's something genuinely moving about hearing her deliver them in a huskier, lower voice than the one that made her famous, adding a patina of hard-won knowledge.

Background

Though never officially released, the song was leaked to the Internet. However, music mogul Clive Davis said at the album's official launch party in London that all of the tracks on the album remain unfinished. The song's release was originally confirmed by Diane Warren who told Vibe Magazine she had penned the single especially for Houston, and it would be released as the first single. At the album listening parties, Davis said the album track "Call You Tonight" was a candidate for the lead single. Following previous reports, this led to speculation that "I Didn't Know My Own Strength" would receive a limited release to generate buzz for the album, whilst a different song will be fully promoted and released to propel the album's release. Title song "I Look to You" was released as the U.S. lead single whilst "Million Dollar Bill" (the second U.S. release) became the international lead single. Houston performed the song on The Oprah Winfrey Show on September 15, 2009 and live on the 2009 American Music Awards broadcast.

Track listing

Due to the popularity of the song, a remix-EP was released alongside remixes for the two official singles on November 6, 2009.

1. "I Didn't Know My Own Strength" (Peter Rauhofer Radio Edit) – 3:04
2. "I Didn't Know My Own Strength" (Peter Rauhofer Mixshow) – 5:15
3. "I Didn't Know My Own Strength" (Daddy's Groove Magic Island Radio Mix) – 3:11
4. "I Didn't Know My Own Strength" (Daddy's Groove Magic Island Mixshow) – 5:19
5. "I Didn't Know My Own Strength" (Daddy's Groove Magic Island Club Mix) – 7:23

Charts

References

References

1. "Whitney Officially Confirms Release".
2. "Pre-album launch party".
3. "Live: Her Greatest Performances - Whitney Houston | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic".
4. (August 31, 2009). "Whitney Houston: 'I Look To You' - Music Album Review". Digital Spy.
5. (November 6, 2020). "Whitney Houston's 25 Best Songs: Staff Picks".
6. (September 22, 2022). "Whitney Houston's 20 greatest songs, ranked!". [[The Guardian]].
7. Perry, Simon. (July 15, 2009). "Whitney Houston Back in Form for CD Launch - Music News, Clive Davis, Whitney Houston". [[People (magazine).
8. "Information Not Found". Billboard.com.
9. "The Official Whitney Houston Site". Whitney Houston.
10. (July 15, 2009). "Album Cover: Whitney Houston – 'I Look to You'". Rap-Up.com.
11. "Dianne Warren Confirms Whitney's new single to VIBE magazine".
12. (September 15, 2009). "Whitney Houston's I Didn't Know My Own Strength - Video". Oprah.com.
13. Franc G.. (September 15, 2009). "Whitney Houston I Didn't Know My Own Strength Video Performance On Oprah". Rnbmusicblog.com.
14. "I Didn't Know My Own Strength Remixes: Whitney Houston: MP3 Downloads".
15. "Billboard Japan Hot 100 [2009/11/18 公開]". [[Billboard Japan]].